A villanelle for Arthur H. Monigold.
I fear sleep for the dreams that often come
In the darkest hours after midnight,
When my mind is defenseless, my heart numb.
Engulfed in blackness, I sense the phantom
Approach, but I cannot flee, cannot fight;
I fear sleep for the dreams that often come.
Powerless, I am once more his victim.
Past trespass will allow no rest tonight,
When my mind is defenseless, my heart numb.
My innocence again becomes flotsam,
Broken by incestuous appetite;
I fear sleep for the dreams that often come.
The shame of my own guilt becomes tiresome
To bear, though memory will still indict
When my mind is defenseless, my heart numb.
To unrestrained emotions I succumb,
While praying these nightmares fade in day's light.
I fear sleep for the dreams that often come
When my mind is defenseless, my heart numb.
